Baked Mac and Cheese
A proper baked macaroni cheese with a silky three-cheese bechamel and a crisp buttered breadcrumb top that never turns grainy.
Grainy, oily macaroni cheese is a temperature problem, not a recipe problem. Cheese proteins tighten and squeeze out their fat above roughly 180F, so the sauce here is finished off the heat, a handful at a time, and the pasta comes out of the water while it is still firm because it has a further twenty minutes of oven time to soften. Get those two things right and the rest is a straightforward bechamel.
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How to make Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Quantities scale automatically. Cooking times stay the same.
For the pasta
For the sauce
For the topping
Equipment
- Large pot
- Heavy saucepan
- Whisk
- 9x13 inch baking dish
- Box grater
Method
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1
Heat the oven and grate
Heat the oven to 375F / 190C and butter a 9x13 inch dish. Grate all the cheese now, off the block, and keep it at room temperature so it melts evenly later.
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2
Undercook the macaroni
Boil the macaroni in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says, so it is still noticeably firm. Drain, but do not rinse; the surface starch helps the sauce grip.
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3
Make the roux
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. It should smell biscuity and turn a shade darker, which cooks out the raw flour taste without adding colour.
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4
Build the bechamel
Pour in the warm milk in a slow stream, whisking hard after each addition to keep it smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 5-6 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the mustard, paprika, nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
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5
Melt the cheese off the heat
Take the pan completely off the hob and add the cheddar and gruyere a large handful at a time, stirring until each addition disappears before adding the next. The sauce should be glossy and pourable. This is where grainy sauces are made, so do not return it to the heat.
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6
Combine and top
Fold the macaroni through the sauce and tip it into the dish. Toss the panko with the melted butter and parmesan and scatter it over the top.
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7
Bake and rest
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and deep golden on top. Rest for 10 minutes before serving so the sauce sets enough to hold a spoonful.
Cook’s tips
- Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in potato starch or cellulose to stop it clumping, and that coating is what turns a sauce gritty.
- Warm the milk before it goes into the roux. Cold milk hitting hot flour is the usual cause of lumps, and it stalls the sauce for several minutes.
- The sauce should look slightly too loose before it goes in the oven. The pasta absorbs a surprising amount as it bakes, and a sauce that looks perfect in the pan will be stiff on the plate.
Variations
- Stir 6 oz of crisp bacon or chopped ham through the pasta before baking.
- Add a finely chopped chipotle in adobo and swap the gruyere for pepper jack.
- Fold in a pound of roasted broccoli or cauliflower florets to cut the richness.
Storage and make-ahead
Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat portions covered at 325F / 160C with a splash of milk stirred in, which brings the sauce back; the microwave works but dulls the crust. It can also be assembled a day ahead, refrigerated unbaked, and given an extra 10 minutes in the oven from cold.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 704 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 29 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57 g |
| Fat | 41 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Sodium | 860 mg |
Nutrition is estimated from ingredient averages and will vary with brands and portioning.
